Paula Deen

Paula Deen's culinary career began in June 1989 out of her kitchen with the Bag Lady, a home-based lunch delivery service in Savannah. The bag lady was extremely successful and soon outgrew her kitchen. On January 8th, 1996 she opened her own restaurant, The Lady & Sons, in downtown Savannah. In 1999, USA today named the Lady & Son's the "International Meal of the Year".

In 1997, Deen published her first cook book, The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. As luck would have it, a major publishing company house picked it up when one of their literary agents walked into the restaurant to escape a rainstorm. Shortly after that, Deen's cookware was appearing on QVC. In the next few years Paula published many more cookbooks.

"Paula's Home Cooking" premiered on the TV Food Network on November 16th, 2002. The program features Deen doing what she does best-being herself, teaching people how to bring joy into their kitchens and homes. With Deen it is about teaching viewers to bring out the best in their families and creating happy memories no matter what the budget is.

In Fall 2006 Deen launched her second program, "Paula's Party", on the Food Network. She invites guests to participate in her cooking classes. Viewers get an inside look at what makes Deen so special- her clever wit, her jovial laugh and shear genius at making people feel good.